


nothing but the radio on

by sidsknees



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Body Worship, ESPN Body Issue as a Plot Device, M/M, Nude Modeling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 17:45:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18035966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsknees/pseuds/sidsknees
Summary: Marilyn Monroe posed without clothesFor a backroom calendar, yeah, one of thoseSidney Crosby’s shoot for the ESPN Body Issue, really and truly, broke the internet.





	nothing but the radio on

**Author's Note:**

> this fic has been in my fucking drafts since november of 2017 i think so fuckin. take it off my hands. 
> 
> title and whole fic tbh inspired by "nothing but the radio on" from "naked boys singing". please look up the song. i love it.

 

Nothing But the Radio On  
by bicroft

 

Sidney Crosby’s shoot for the ESPN Body Issue, really and truly, broke the internet.

Zhenya was in Russia when it dropped, and it was early enough in the morning that he contemplated throwing his phone against the wall to get it to shut up before he collected enough brain cells with sense to tell him to see _why_ it was blowing up at such an inconvenient hour.

It was, of fucking _course_ , the team’s group chat; he usually had it muted, or at least ignored it, and in that moment,  he almost kept that streak going- but, squinting at the lines of eggplant and peach emojis that were filling his screen from every possible chat bubble, his curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to backlog.

His eyes got progressively, probably _comically,_ wider as he scrolled up, and up, awareness dawning with him as he got more context. He must have looked like a cartoon character by the time he hit the first text in the chain for that morning: an article from ESPN that, when he clicked it, was titled _Sidney Crosby Bears All for ESPN Body Issue!_

Holy shit.

Holy _fucking shit!_

Now, Zhenya did throw his phone- or, more accurately, he dropped it like it was burning him before he could scroll any further and lose his fucking mind.

He knew that ESPN contacted Sid almost every single year, inviting him to do the Body Issue; the whole team knew, and chirped Sid mercilessly about it. Every time, Sid would blush and tell them to fuck off, and Zhenya had always though that that would be that. It was _Sid_ ; there was no way in hell he was ever going to _actually do it._

Except that, apparently, there was, and Zhenya’s world was starting to tilt a little on its axis. He hadn’t even seen the pictures, but, he had to use every ounce of the mental willpower he possessed to keep from imagining them. He’d seen Seguin’s Body Issue, years ago, and laughed about it- now, though, he thought about _Sid_ , all pale skin and goofy grins, lip wrapped obscenely around a popsicle, with only a strategically placed prop keeping the whole world from seeing-

Zhenya squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head. This was stupid- this was stupid! It was far too early for him to be thinking about things like this, he decided, picking up his phone again and averting his eyes as he felt around enough to lock it and then, as a second thought, turn it off entirely and shove it into a drawer in his nightstand. He was just going to… go back to sleep, and when he woke up, he’d be better equipped to deal with this in any way other than thinking about his captain and best friend fellating a popsicle.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he sank back into bed, pulling is blankets up to his chin and taking deep breaths. This would all he over when he woke up. The internet had a short attention span, and the team had an even shorter one, and by the time he woke up, everyone would be focusing on pictures of Muzz’s dog or whatever beach vacations everyone was on.

Falling asleep again was a _dire fucking mistake,_ though, as it turned out, because all Zhenya could dream about was _fucking Sid-_ well. Fucking _Sid_ , and _fucking_ Sid, as different concepts, because his stupid libido and imagination had both decided today was they day they were going to start working overtime, giving him flashes of images he could barely remember when he woke up, but his body told him it had found _very_ interesting.

“You’re a fucking traitor,” he said, glaring down as his tented sheets. Nothing changed, so he just sighed and rolled over and stared at his wall for the several minutes that it took him to work up the courage to reach over and take his phone out of his drawer. He was going to have to face this, eventually, and there was no time like the present.

The group chat hadn’t quieted down at all, and Zhenya frowned when he realized Sid hadn’t spoken up in there yet. Then again, he didn’t do it often, normally, and he was almost always swamped with too many media obligations to talk much, even during the summer- and, probably _especially_ after this.

He rolled his eyes when he saw he had a few texts from Sasha, too: the same eggplants and peaches as were in the group chat, in the latest message. He didn’t even bother opening that thread; he definitely didn’t need to hear what Sasha thought of the spread, ever. He took a few more seconds before he bit the bullet and opened the article again, sucking in a deep breath as he skipped the introduction, and scrolled straight for the pictures.

The deep breath didn’t do much good; it was sucked from his lungs the second he saw the first picture. It had the same playful mood as most of Seguin’s shoot did- except, even with whatever Photoshopping they’d done, and makeup they’d put on him, Zhenya could tell Sid was blushing, grinning as a line of toy penguins kept the shoot from getting X rated. His heart leapt a little in his chest, which was fucking _dumb_ , because who got emotional about a naked photoshoot?

It only got worse, after that- and, by worse, Zhenya meant so, so devastatingly better. The shots go more serious, Sid on skates, seeming to be mid-shot, body skillfully turned so that it gave Zhenya the illusion of seeing _everything_ when he knew full well there were a few parts out of sight. Sid’s ass absolutely was not one of those things, though; as he scrolled through the next few pictures, it was clear that whoever was taking the photos knew exactly what kind of untapped assets they had in front of them, and were taking _full_ advantage of them.

Zhenya was _mesmerized_ , to say the least. It wasn’t like he’d never seen Sid naked, either, which was what was so dumb about all this. Even with locker room etiquette, he’d seen Sid naked more than a few times in the many years they’d been playing together. In the locker room, though, there was a detachment. In the locker room, it was easy to pull apart Sid Who He Played With and Sid Who He Was Attracted To, because he had the veneer of protocol to help him put the blinders up. This, though? There was no separation, here. It was impossible to divorce any concept of Sid from the image of him, head tipped back in his stall, laughing and haloed in light, looking like some angel of temptation that Zhenya wasn’t equipped to resist.

He was almost relieved when the article came to an end, and he could close the tab and close his eyes, as if doing so would clear his head at all. It didn’t, so he sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time in the past several hours and decided to bite the bullet and check his texts again. The group chat had quieted a little since the last time he’d checked, but Sasha had sent him a slew of more texts. He checked them after the group chat, mostly just to clear the notifications and tell him to fuck off.

 _!! Zhenya you see what Crosby did_  
Not know he’s not prude like this holy shit Zhenya  
Zhenya I know you’re awake and probably jerking off to the pictures right now but I need you to answer me  
  


The last text got him, face flushing as he typed out a reply, feeling caught out even though he wasn’t even doing anything, and if he was, there was no one there to say otherwise.

_I’m not jerking off to Sid’s picture, fuck you._

Sasha’s reply was almost immediate, and Zhenya already regretted starting this conversation.

_))) Sure you’re not  
You saw then? _

Zhenya almost didn’t respond, but, in the end he really couldn’t help himself.

_What do you think?_

_I think you’ve already got them saved as your background, but I want to hear what_ you _think_ , Sasha said, and Zhenya immediately wanted to hop in his car and drive out just to choke him out a little.

 _They’re nice pictures,_ Zhenya sent back, hoping it sounded casual and noncommittal, but knowing Sasha probably read deeper into it.

 _Very nice_ , he replied, and Zhenya could feel the waves of smugness coming off of him when he did. God, he fucking hated Sasha sometimes- all the time, really. Why hadn’t he blocked his number yet? _You talk to him about them yet? He won’t answer me. (((_

 _You’re an ass, why would he_? Zhenya shot back, huffing. _And, no. Why would I talk to him about it? What would I even say?_ The last part was a little desperate, really, but he didn’t think Sasha would be able to pick up on it over text.

 _I’m not your marriage counselor,_ Sasha said because he was the absolute worst kind of asshole. _But you should say something. And, send me a screenshot.))_

 _You’re the worst,_ Zhenya wrote back, gritting his teeth and backing out of that conversation before he could see whatever string of annoying emotes Sasha threw at him in reply. He didn’t want to check the group chat again, either, which left him staring at the rest of his messages. Third in the line, after the group chat and Sasha’s taunting, was Sid’s name; Zhenya had been sending him pictures and color commentary while he’d been travelling for the first part of the summer, and Sid had been sending him pictures of whatever he was doing. Except, apparently, Sid hadn’t thought it necessary to update him on the fact that he was going to be jump starting a career as a centerfold model and- well. Not that Zhenya _blamed_ him, but he did think a little bit of a warning might’ve been nice.

His finger twitched over his touchscreen for a second before it tapped Sid’s name, and wrote out a message and hit send before Zhenya’s brain could catch up and stop it.

_Little bit dangerous you’re be out on ice without gear, yes?_

He was an idiot. He was a fucking _idiot_ , and he was about to shove his phone back in his drawer to keep him from making any more stupid mistakes when it vibrated, and he nearly dropped it in the floor instead. He was debating maybe throwing it all the way across the room instead when his fingers acted of their own accord again and opened the message.

_You’re the one who said you’d skate without pants, G. Kinda pot and kettle._

Zhenya couldn’t help but smile a little at that. Maybe he hadn’t fucked up too bad, then, if they could still joke. _No pants different than naked._

 _Whatever you say,_ Sid sent back, and Zhenya could feel the smile in it. A few seconds later, he also got: _And, it’s not like I was playing real hockey. I was just doing a photoshoot._

 _I’m know you, Sid,_ Zhenya said, hoping he could convey the level of fondness he was feeling via text. _You’re always playing real hockey._

There was a beat before Sid started typing again, and Zhenya’s heart stopped beating, thinking that _that_ maybe crossed the line. Maybe the fondness had gotten through, but had skewed a little bit more towards the endearment he always tried to crush underfoot when it came to Sid.

 _I couldn’t really go full out,_ Sid said, eventually. _I was more concerned with making sure they didn’t get a picture of my dick than anything else._

Zhenya choked on a laugh, startled, and trying not to imagine what _that_ shot would look like. Christ. _Save for next time, good idea,_ he sent back for some _demented_ reason. _Break internet even more._

 _I’m not a Kardashian, Geno,_ Sid said. _I didn’t break the internet._

 _No, your ass is better than a Kardashian,_ Zhenya said, because he loved making bad decisions and running his mouth. _And, you totally did._

 _Did not,_ Sid sent back.

 _Broke my internet._ Zhenya stared at the message after he sent it, and he knew that even _Sid_ was going to be able to pick the innuendo out of that one. Hopefully, he’d just… ignore it, or tell him to fuck off.

The few agonizing seconds it took Sid to reply after that made Zhenya’s stomach drop, and the actual reply didn’t do much to help. _Really?_

Zhenya had to pause a few moments himself before he responded. _Looked good, Sid. Really good._

 _I’m glad you think so._ The statement was innocuous enough, but, it sent a spark of electricity down Zhenya’s spine that he couldn’t shake. _I wasn’t sure how anyone was going to take them._

 _Take them to get them framed if my mama not come over so much,_ Zhenya said, trying to sound like he was joking, but missing a little, probably. They were damn good pictures.

 _Please don’t frame them,_ Sid said. _You can save them, but, don’t frame them._

And, Zhenya hadn’t been going to save them, but, now that he had _permission_ \- he hesitated for a few second before going back and opening the link back again, quickly saving each photo and trying not to let himself get distracted by them. _I’m make my background instead,_ he shot back.

 _You fucking won’t._ Zhenya could hear the dare in Sid’s tone, and he was never one to back up from that kind of challenge.

He was smiling as he went into his camera roll and scrolled through the pictures, settling on the first one from the set, with Sid blushing and the line of penguins in front of him, and set it as his home screen. He took a screenshot and sent it to Sid, and let the small amount of smugness he felt for going through with the admittedly absurd dare overpower the rest of him screaming ‘how could one person possibly do _this many_ stupid things in one sitting.’ Honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised about it; he’d done stupider things because of Sid.

 _I hate you_ , Sid sent back after a few minutes, and Zhenya just sent back a series of smileys because he could hear the laughter behind Sid’s words from all the way across the world.

Talk moved away from Sid’s photoshoot after that, and back to the more average parts of their summer. By the time Sid actually had to stop texting him to go tend to one of his many summer press obligations, Zhenya had all but forgotten about his new home screen- that is, until he closed out his texts and jumped nearly a foot when he saw it.

 _Logically_ , he’d seen the dare through to the end. It _had_ been his background, and Sid had seen it, and it would probably be the right and smart thing to do for Zhenya to change it back to his old background, or pick a new one, or literally just do anything but have a picture of his naked captain as the first thing someone would see if they unlocked his phone.

The longer Zhenya looked at it, though, the more it felt _wrong_ to change it. The picture was a little dumb, yes, but Sid was grinning and blushing and he looked fucking _good_ \- and, really, it would be a damn shame if there wasn’t someone appreciating this image at all times every day forever. Zhenya was just doing the right thing by keeping it, he told himself. Taking one for the team.

Or, maybe not taking one _for_ the team so much as standing _with_ the team, as he discovered that he wasn’t the only one with a new background when he got back to Pittsburgh in September. He’d avoided the group chat, for the most part, but they must’ve gotten stuck on the shoot for longer than Zhenya had given them credit for, because it seemed like _everyone_ \- or, at least, a good portion of the team- had Sid as their background, lock screen, _something_ , and took great joy in letting Sid know it.

“You all fucking _suck_ ,” Sid said in what Zhenya knew to be his ‘I’m trying really hard not to sound whiny or laugh because I’m professional’ voice.

“I just appreciate a beautiful photograph when I see one,” Tanger shrugged. Sid rolled his eyes and flipped him off.

“You really channeled your inner Monroe, Sid, really,” Flower chirped. “Tasteful as hell.”

“I was thinking more Burt Reynolds,” Phil chimed in. “No bearskin rugs, though. Kinda sad.”

“What did you think, G?”

Zhenya had been absolutely silent during the whole exchange, hoping that, maybe, if he looked like he was focusing hard enough on lacing up his skates, everyone would forget that he was there. When he looked up, most of the guys were staring at him, and he probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights on an oncoming semi-truck. _Fuck_. “Uh,” he said, clearing his throat and fighting a flush when he saw _Sid_ had stopped to look at him, too. “Was- nice. Looked nice, very pretty.”

“Pretty,” Sid echoed, eyebrow raised.

Zhenya wanted to fucking _die_. “Very pretty,” he said, doubling down instead of backtracking- because _that_ would definitely go well. “If you’re get tired of hockey, could be best model in world.”

Zhenya wasn’t sure if it was the light, or if Sid was actually _blushing,_ but he didn’t really get time to place any bets, because Tanger quickly drew the conversation to Sid’s potential for a post-retirement career as a nude model, and Zhenya absolutely could not handle considering that in his current, fragile state, so went back to focusing _very_ hard on getting his gear on and tuned him out best he could.

Every time he’d look up, though, he’d catch Sid’s eye- catch Sid _staring_ , and he wasn’t sure if it was because he had something on his face that he just hadn’t noticed, or if he’d finally exposed himself to the point that Sid could see his terrible, awful crush, and was just waiting for the right moment to let him down gently- because, there was never a question in Zhenya’s mind that Sid would let him down gently. He was too kind for anything else, which only made it that much worse that he was being as creepy as he was.

Sid didn’t call him out, though- not that day, after practice, or any of the days following, but what happened instead was almost immeasurably worse. _Before_ the photoshoot, Sid was never really naked around the locker room more than any other guy; hell, he might’ve been naked around the locker room even _less_ than any other guy. He was never prone to walking around bare assed, like a lot of the guys seemed to be happy to do, and that was at least one small grace that Zhenya could count on to get him through the day, most days. He might be stupidly, stupidly in love with the man, but at least he didn’t have to seem him naked more than the job required, and even then, he could avert his eyes.

 _After_ the shoot, though, Sid seemed to throw whatever body-shyness he had out the window. He’d fucking _parade_ around the locker room naked, whenever there wasn’t a camera around, holding full conversations _right in front of Zhenya’s fucking stall_. None of the other guys seemed to notice- because, of _course_ they didn’t; they couldn’t even chirp Sid about it and at least add some levity to the situation- but Zhenya sure as hell did. He got very, very good at memorizing the patch of carpet in front of his stall very, _very_ quickly after Sid started having an aversion to pants.

If it was just that, though, Zhenya might be able to keep it together. But, _no_ , Sid just had to carry this new clothing allergy into every other part of his life; his aversion to shirts, all of a sudden, became almost as severe as Horny’s was, even when they _weren’t_ in the locker room.

He answered the door shirtless, once, when Zhenya was coming over to hang out.

It was _October_ , and _freezing_.

Obviously, he wanted Zhenya dead.

Zhenya was a strong man, though, and the fear of fucking things up was at least still a little bit stronger than the urge to push Sid up against a wall and kiss him until they both couldn’t breathe.

Even if Zhenya’s frustration seemed to go unnoticed by most of the team, at least he seemed to be able to channel it into his hockey; he was on a hot streak, a point or two a night for ten games. And that was good, because all points were good points, but also _shitty_ , because that lead to a lot of pats on the back, on the head, a lot of Sid hanging off him and sparking warmth down his spine every time he touched him. It wasn’t _fair_ , Zhenya had always been able to keep himself from reading too much into simple touches before, and there wasn’t any reason he shouldn’t be able to keep that trend up now.

When November rolled around, there was an even worse cold snap, and the heat in the locker room started acting up, so it was too cold for even Sid, with his newfound nudist streak, to consider walking around for more than a few seconds without a protective layer on. Zhenya had never be so happy to be somewhere cold in his life.

That lulled him into a false sense of security, though, and when Sid asked him after practice one day if he might want to come over and hang out, he was quick to say “sure”; he didn’t even know he was being set up for a swift death by the cosmos until he was standing in Sid’s doorway, staring at Sid in a state almost worse than nudity.

Zhenya had never seen Sid in a pair of shorts that weren’t of the cargo or basketball variety in his life, so he wasn’t sure when or where Sid got what could only be described as the shortest shorts known to man, but he knew that no matter the answer, he was about to spend the entire afternoon screaming. “Hey,” Sid said, smiling sweetly, like his legs weren’t weapons being used to kill Zhenya slowly and painfully. “You gonna just stand there all afternoon, man?”

“Might,” Zhenya said, somewhat weakly. “Nice porch, Sid.”

“Thanks, I guess?” Sid screwed up his face into something that was between amused and confused, and it was so, so endearing that Zhenya wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He couldn’t have blood rushing to his face and his dick at the same time; his body wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. “Really, though, come in. You’re letting the heat out.”

Zhenya stepped inside and sealed his fate behind him, closing and locking the door. He was lucky he knew his way around Sid’s house just as well as he knew his way around his own by now, because if there were any surprise corners or columns, he definitely wouldn’t have been paying enough attention to them to avoid walking into them. His eyes were glued to Sid’s ass as they walked to the living room, right up until a split second before Sid sat down and could catch him staring.

“I didn’t really have plans,” Sid said, tucking his legs under himself as Zhenya sat down and tried to keep his eyes at face-level. “So, if you’re cool with just TV and take-out--”

“Is good with me,” Zhenya said, because both of those things meant minimal talking on his part, which was perfect, because he was afraid that if he tried to make his brain work for extended periods of time, it might spit out something dangerously dumb.

Sid smiled at him, and started absently flipping through channels, legs tucked under him and _god_ , the way his thigh muscles looked right then made something fucking _primal_ in Zhenya start snapping its teeth. Zhenya just clenched his fists and closed his eyes, breathing out harshly through his nostrils.

“You good, G?”

Zhenya’s eyes suddenly snapped open at Sid’s voice, and he flushed, mouth moving wordlessly for a moment before his brain came back online. “I’m- fine, yes. Just… tired.”

“If you say so.” Sid sounded skeptical- or… disappointed? Zhenya had no idea why he would be, though, so that couldn’t be it. “D’you want me to order some food?”

“Please.” Food would be a welcome distraction, something Zhenya could focus on and occupy his mouth with that wasn’t the idea of sucking dark marks onto the soft, pale skin of Sid’s inner thigh.

Sid hummed. “Anything you want?”

“Surprise me,” Zhenya said, because he and Sid had eaten out together enough times that he could actually say that. 2011 had left the both of them eating a lot of takeout, trying to fill a little bit of the hockey-less void with sodium and forbidden foods.

He took the time Sid took to ponder over menus and place their order to pull himself back into order- or, that’s what he told himself he was doing. Instead, he just stared at the way Sid’s brow furrowed as he read, and the way his tongue swiped over his bottom lip, and tried to remember why he’d never been so distracted by it before.

Sid looked up a little bit more abruptly than Zhenya was expecting and caught him out, and his brow furrowed a bit more. “Do I have something on my face?” he asked.

Zhenya shook his head quickly. “I’m- no, nothing on your face.”

“You’re sure I don’t have, like, a zit or something?” Sid asked, setting the menus aside but still frowning at Zhenya. “Because you’ve been staring at me _a lot_ , and I’d really rather you tell me that there’s something wrong with my face than just let me walk around looking like an idiot, G.”

“Don’t look like an idiot,” Zhenya assured him. “Look- good. You look really, really good.”

Sid huffed, and dropped his gaze. “You keep saying that,” he said, but he was so quiet when he said it that Zhenya wasn’t sure if he’d been meant to hear it or not- but he responded all the same.

“Mean it,” he said, and because he’d lost his absolute fucking _mind_ , he reached out and put a hand on Sid’s leg- his _bare fucking thigh_ , god help him. “You look good.”

“You said that about the pictures, too.” Sid’s demeanor had done a full one-eighty. He’d gone from staring down at his own feet to back to staring at Zhenya- and, the full force of Sid’s gaze was something to be reckoned with.

Zhenya wasn’t exactly prepped for any kind of reckoning in his current state, but he also knew that backing down would do more harm than good, so, he was just stuck meeting Sid’s gaze like a deer staring down oncoming traffic. “They’re good pictures?” he offered, half shrugging. “Not sure what you want me to say, Sid.”

Sid didn’t seem to know what _he_ wanted to say, either, because he was just silent for a long moment, lips pressed together in a thin line before he sighed and averted his gaze to the ceiling. “I was just- expecting more chirping, I guess.”

“Everyone else is handle chirping for me,” Zhenya said, trying not to sound _too_ relieved that the inquisition seemed to be over. “I’m not have to chirp you- can’t. You’re look good. Look… happy. Pretty.”

“Pretty.” Sid repeated the word with a huff, gaze still angled at the ceiling. His head was thrown back in a way that exposed the line of his throat and, damn him, Zhenya even found _that_ distracting. “Dunno if I’ve ever had that thrown at me as a compliment.”

“Call you pretty is a shitty chirp, Sid,” Zhenya huffed. “Barely even good compliment; is fact. You’re pretty.”

Even if he could only see about half of Sid’s face, Zhenya could tell he was wrinkling his nose. “I… don’t think you’re right, G, but thanks.”

“ _Am_ right.” This was a stupid hill to die on, a fucking _asinine_ fight to pick if Zhenya wanted to be lowkey. But, if there was one thing in the world he couldn’t stand, it was people selling Sid short in any way- even if the person doing the shorting was Sid himself. “Most right. You’re have mirrors here, Sid, I’m know. You’re use them right?

“I know what I look like, Geno.” Sid snorted, cutting his gaze back to Zhenya for just long enough to pin him with a look that clearly read ‘are you kidding me?’ “Pretty… isn’t the word I’d use.”

Zhenya raised an eyebrow, shooting the same look right back. “What’s the word you’re use, then?”

“Fine.” Sid said the word as if he was answering a bit of passing small talk: ‘how’re you doing, Sid?’ “Just fine. I know I’m not ugly, I look fine.”

“ _Fine_.” Zhenya probably sounded as if Sid had insulted _his_ appearance rather than his own. “Think you’re look just _fine_ \- have best eyes in the league, Sid, I’m know you’re not blind.”

“There’s nothing wrong with _fine_ ,” Sid said, shrugging. “I’m okay with how I look. My body does what it has to, and looks okay, and my face doesn’t make people scream and run away or laugh, so, it’s _fine_. I’m not gonna make a career of going out and doing fucking- Playgirl shoots, or whatever, Geno. It doesn’t matter.”

“Matters to me,” Zhenya said.

“ _Why_?”

Zhenya- paused, there. Sid was looking at him, again, with the intensity dialed down but the tension of the room seemed to crank itself up to eleven to compensate. There wasn’t very much neutral ground to stand on here- and, it was likely that none of those options would get Sid to actually believe that he wasn’t just talking out of his ass. So, really, he could either drop it, or bite the bullet and get to the heart of the matter.

Zhenya was a lot of things. A quitter was not one, and stubborn was; the truth won out.

“Because you’re _gorgeous_ ,” he said, and once he started, the praise started pouring out. It had never been difficult for him to compliment Sid, after all. “ _Always_ been gorgeous, Sid- was gorgeous when I’m come here, only gotten prettier since. Body issue- those pictures fucking _killed_ me. Could barely _think_ , you’re look so good.”

“Yeah?” Sid sounded somewhat breathless, and Zhenya was sure the temperature of the room had raised quite a few degrees.

“Not keep as lock screen this long just for joke, Sid,” Zhenya said. He was surprised his hand wasn’t shaking when he reached out and put it on Sid’s cheek. “Keep it because it’s fucking _art_. You’re look beautiful.”

“ _Fuck_ , G.” The syllables came out in a rush of air; Sid’s pupils were blown so dark and so wide that Zhenya almost couldn’t discern where they ended and his irises began, even with as close as they were- inches apart, now, as Sid leaned into his touch and Zhenya felt himself drawn into his orbit. “You really-”

Zhenya didn’t even let him get out the last part of whatever question or denial he was trying for before he closed the last few inches and kissed him. It wasn’t a perfect kiss by any means- there was _definitely_ a half second where it they clacked teeth, but all it took was a hitched ‘oh’ from Sid and a moment’s adjustment, and the _second_ kiss, the second kiss was good enough that it shorted Zhenya out entirely.

“That- yeah. That answers my question, I think.” Sid was _grinning_ when he pulled away, and it made Zhenya’s stomach flip flop, pulling out a laugh in the process.

“ _Hope_ so,” he said, bumping their heads together. “Been driving me _crazy_ since _July,_ Sid. Can’t stop thinking about. Every time I close my eyes, just see you.”

“That- I mean, it obviously wasn’t the only reason I did the issue. It was... it was fun,” Sid dropped his gaze again, and shrugged. “But it… I wanted to know what you thought of it, too. I wanted you to see it.”

“You did _whole magazine shoot_ , to- seduce me?” Zhenya wasn’t sure it he wanted to laugh or kiss Sid again more. “ _Sid_.”

“It wasn’t _just_ to seduce you!” Sid said. “It was also because I just wanted to, but it was- okay, it was a _little_ to seduce you. And, you didn’t- make a move or anything, when we got back in town, so I… I wasn’t sure if it worked.”

“So, you’re just start walking around locker room naked more, think maybe _that’s_ make me do something?” It was a weird sort of vindication, knowing that Zhenya hadn’t been entirely out of his mind in thinking that Sid had been taunting him- the best sort of weird, where he got to actually do something about it, and Sid _wanted_ him to do something about it after all.

“You did, though, didn’t you?” Sid’s smile had started riding the line between goofy grin and straight up _smirk_. “It worked.”

“Yes, Sid, it worked,” Zhenya sighed, though he was sure that his endearment showed. “You’re best at seduction, most irresistible.”

Sid _giggled-_ and, god, Zhenya didn’t think he could be any more attracted to this absolute _fool_ of a man. “I mean, I am, aren’t I? I tricked you into thinking-”

“Miss whole _point,_ ” Zhenya groaned. “Didn’t _trick_ me, Sid; you’re pretty. Most pretty, prettiest thing I’m ever see.”

“I just- I don’t get what you see, G,” Sid said, shrugging. “It’s not a big deal, though. If you think I’m- good looking, or whatever, that’s all that matters.”

“I’m _want_ you to see, though,” Zhenya said. “I want you to see what I see, not just- think that I’m _say_ you’re gorgeous, pretty, beautiful, handsome, everything. I want you to _know_.”

“Show me, then.”

Sid said the words so easily, but they blew Zhenya away all the same. “You want-”

“Show me,” Sid repeated, and there was a weight to it this time that knocked the breath from Zhenya’s lungs and wiped away any questions he might have had about whether or not Sid was _sure_.

“Up,” he said, a little breathless, and at Sid’s brow furrow he added: “Can’t- better show upstairs. Bed.”

“ _Oh_.” The breathiness of Sid’s answer this time made it clear the he probably hadn’t been expecting _that_ , but he also stands up. “Do you want me to be- y’know?”

Zhenya was pretty sure there was some kind of adage about if you couldn’t _say_ the word, you shouldn’t be doing it, but Sid was already flushed bright pink everywhere he could see, so, he decided he’d give him a pass. “Yes.”

“Okay.” Sid looked determined for a moment before he turned on his heels, and started towards the stairs before Zhenya could process things enough to get up. He gave him a little bit of a head start, though; he figured both of them needed it.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He was about to see Sid _naked_. In front of him. In front of him, without the barriers of locker room protocol keeping Zhenya from looking his fill- with Sid’s permission, _encouragement_ , to look his fill.

 _Fuck_.

He didn’t let himself wait long, least Sid think that he’d changed his mind and bolted, but it became _painfully_ clear he hadn’t given himself nearly enough time to prepare for this as he needed, because walking into Sid’s bedroom and seeing him laid out on the sheets nearly knocked him out.

“ _Fuck_ , Sid.” The words came out without time for Zhenya to process them- but, that was probably the best way to do this. No thought, no filters; Sid wanted him to tell him what he saw, show him, and if Zhenya let himself think about it for too long, he’d probably chicken out.

“Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. When he took a step into the room, Sid countered it; not scared, evenly meeting Zhenya’s gaze as he spoke. “Even prettier in person. You’re not even know, can’t even _tell you_ how many times I’m look at those pictures and just be so- _awe_ , so in awe of how pretty you are.”

“Try,” Sid said, once he was finally, finally backed up against the bed, and pushed himself back onto it, just staring back up at Zhenya with wide eyes, pupils blown so much they almost entirely engulfed the green-brown of his irises. He sounded breathless, and that only knocked the air from Zhenya’s chest further. “Try. Tell me.”

“Slow,” Zhenya said- cooed, almost, his voice so, so loving he made his own chest ache. He pushed himself up onto the bed, arms bracketed on either side of Sid’s head- and then, after holding his gaze for another moment, he slid down, his face eye-level with Sid’s ankles, now.

“Everyone’s talk about your legs,” he said. “All the time say, ‘Sid’s have nice legs, good legs, best legs’- and, they right. Every time you’re move, look like- swan, graceful, _powerful_.” With every descriptor, he pressed a kiss a few inches farther up Sid’s leg. He could feel Sid shake- shiver, muscles tensing, as he did. “Talk about your ass all the time- gets so much attention, no one’s talk about your _thighs_.”

“I wouldn’t say no one,” Sid said.

Zhenya hushed him. “Feel neglected, not get as much attention as your ass,” he said. “No one’s think about them- I’m think about them all the time,” he said, hands dragging up, up, across the muscle he was talking about, feeling it tense and relax as he moved himself up to meet it. “Think about how they’re feel wrapped around me, how they’re feel under my hand while you’re come…”

“ _Fuck_.” The word was low, drawn out on the edge of a groan, and Zhenya shushed Sid again, pressing a kiss to one thigh, and then the other, moving up again, hands dragging.

“I’m know you’re not like to dance,” he went on, like there hadn’t been an interjection at all. It was hard to keep himself from tripping over his words, but he made sure to make each one clear, taking his time. _Slow_. “But- think, maybe, if you’re ever try- definitely have the hips for it. Know you’re big, you’re grown man, but… looking just at your waist, looks so _small_ , Sid, perfect for just- wrap my arms around you, hold you, keep you there.”

“Was so _jealous_ ,” he admitted, pressing the words into the skin of Sid’s heaving chest, kissing his way up it. “When pictures first come out, that everyone’s get to see you- _everyone’s_ get to know how pretty you’re look, like this. But- really, I’m _luckiest_. Because, I’m get to see _everything_ ; pretty legs, pretty thighs, pretty hands-” He grabbed each and pressed a kiss to their palms in turn. “Pretty, pretty all the way up to your pretty face.”

He was all the way up again, back to eye level with Sid, and quiet for a long, hanging second before he kicked his nerves to the side and caught his breath enough to lean down, and kiss him properly. It felt more electric than the first time, connection sparking at the contact, and then travelling down the wire of his body until it was pressed against Sid’s fully.  
  
“You’re too _dressed_ ,” Sid lamented when he pulled away, pawing at Zhenya’s clothes. “C’mon, G.”

“Not about me,” Zhenya hummed. “About _you_ , Sid; seeing you, making you feel good.”

“I’d feel _super_ if you were more naked,” Sid countered, and Zhenya couldn’t help but laugh as he gave in, pulling back and tugging his shirt off, tossing it aside somewhere in the room.

“Good?”

“Better,” Sid said, smiling, and it was so _sweet_ that Zhenya just had to lean in and kiss him again, just to taste it.

The heat only intensified when he leaned in this time, and Zhenya stopped trying to fight it, letting his hands trail down Sid’s body and letting his weight rest a bit heavier atop him, hips grinding down. Sid gasped, and that gasp turned to a moan as Zhenya picked up a steadier rhythm. “You’re gonna- Jesus, G,” he said, drawing out the letter. “That’s gotta be- uncomfortable. You’re gonna ruin your pants- fuck, _I’m_ gonna ruin your pants.”

“Can get new pants,” Zhenya laughed, pressing a kiss to the curve of Sid’s jaw.

“I want to _see_ you, though,” Sid whined, and Zhenya could tell he was trying- failing- not to pout.

He heaved a sigh, and rocked back again, going through the precarious process of trying to get his pants off without getting fully off of Sid. He managed it after a few tries, kicking his pants and underwear to the floor, and then resting back on his heels, stretching. “This what you’re want?”

“ _God_ , you’re gorgeous,” Sid said, running his hands across Zhenya sides, voice somewhat reverent. It made Zhenya flush. “Maybe you should be the one doing a Body Issue.”

“They’re never call me,” Zhenya huffed, moving back down again, pressing kisses across Sid’s jaw and down his neck. “Always want you.”

“Bet they’ll call you, next year,” Sid said, fingers carding through Zhenya’s hair. “You’re too hot for them not to.”

Zhenya snorted. He didn’t make any other move to answer, though; instead, he kissed Sid again, and let his hand snake down until it was just barely brushing Sid’s cock, making the other man jump. “This okay?”

“ _Fuck yes_ ,” Sid said, tension seeming to drain from his body, flopping back fully against Zhenya’s pillows. “Please.”

Zhenya didn’t have to be asked twice.

The noise Sid made when Zhenya started stroking him was swallowed in another kiss, but he made sure to pull back so he could hear the rest. “Sound so fucking _good_ , Sid,” he said, dropping a kiss to the curve of Sid’s neck. “Say my name?”

“ _Geno_ ,” Sid panted out- and, that was pretty, but it wasn’t quite right, was it? Geno was a locker room name, a friend name.

“Zhenya,” Zhenya corrected, and when he flicked his gaze up to look at Sid, he looked unsure, which meant he knew _exactly_ what having that name meant. “Zhenya.”

“Zhenya,” Sid said, and it was a little clumsy, and not at all right- but, it was beautiful all the same. And, he planned on giving him plenty of reasons to practice it anyway, so, there was no reason it had to be perfect now.

“ _So_ good,” Zhenya said, and he added a kiss to the base of Sid’s neck and a twist of his wrist to accent it, making Sid cry out.

He dug his fingers into Zhenya’s sides, breath hitching. “This is- I don’t usually-”

There was some excuse coming there, Zhenya was sure, but he just brushed it off with another kiss, and a ratcheting up of the pace. “Want to see you come, Sid,” he said. “Come on, for me.”

Sid made a noise somewhere between surprise and realization, breath hitching before he was spilling onto Zhenya’s hand- and, _god_ , he looked gorgeous. It was all Zhenya could do not to reach over and snap a picture of just Sid’s face and his flushed chest and make _that_ his home screen; the prettiest sight he’d ever seen, all for him.

“ _Beautiful_ ,” he said, dotting kisses everywhere across Sid’s face he could manage. “So fucking beautiful, Sid.”

“Next time,” Sid said, huffing, sounding like he was trying to catch his breath after running sprints. “You’re gonna actually let me _touch you_ , G.”

“Next time,” Zhenya echoed, a promise and a gleeful crow at once- there was going to be a _next time_. “This time, just for you.”

* * *

“You’re gonna do it, right?”

Zhenya almost dropped his phone in surprise when Sid came up behind him, winding his arms around his waist. “The Body Issue,” he clarified, as if Zhenya didn’t know what he was talking about. “You’re gonna do it?”

“How you’re _already_ know they ask me?” Zhenya huffed. “They’re _just_ call me.”

Sid shrugged, leaning up to press a kiss to Zhenya’s cheek. “Might’ve pulled a few strings, said you’d be interested,” he said, and Zhenya could hear the laugh behind the faux innocence.

“Evil, Sid,” he said.

“But, you’re gonna do it?” Sid asked again- and, he sounded so genuinely _excited_ at the prospect, Zhenya couldn’t help but smile.

“You can see me naked any time you’re want for free, you know,” he said, turning around in his embrace and wrapping his arms around Sid’s neck.

“Yeah,” Sid said with a shrug. “But, it’s your turn.”

“Of course,” Zhenya snorted. “My turn.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm @sidsknees on tumblr if you wanna come scream at me about sidgeno until i produce content again. thank u


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